Guides

Holidays in Hershey: Could it Get Any Sweeter?

From chocolate on just about everything (including your spa treatments) to a festive light show to santa's crew, Hershey has something to get everyone in the holiday spirit.


Christmas Candylane at Hersheypark. / Getty Images

Hershey is just the place where two people would fall in love at a Christmas bake-off, have heart-to-hearts over hot cocoa, or indulge in a playful food fight while making Christmas cookies (with none of the dough touching the leading lady’s perfectly curled hair).

Cocoa rules the town that was built specifically for Hershey company employees in 1903 — you’ll find the beloved bean in everything from your hotel shampoo to your hummus. And while the small town provides year-round thrills, the holiday season is when “The Sweetest Place on Earth” really shines.

Most festive activity Visit Hershey Sweet Lights, two miles of electric displays enjoyed from the comfort of your own car.

Best spot for a selfie With several live reindeer! Hershey is the only place in the Northeast where you can meet all nine of Santa’s crew. Just head to the Reindeer Stables at Hersheypark’s Christmas Candylane.

What to do after Stop by the newly opened Chocolatier at Hersheypark­ for Reese’s Peanut Butter Hummus, cheeseburgers topped with chocolate-drizzled potato chips, and mac-and-cheese with chocolate barbecue sauce, among other curious concoctions. At Hotel Hershey (prices vary), the more adult-friendly hotel in town, spa treatments incorporate chocolate-scented massage oil, chocolate sugar exfoliator, and even chocolate milk whipped into a foaming bath.

Published as “Know-it-All Guide: Joyful Jaunts” in the December 2021 issue of Philadelphia magazine.